Intuitive Machines landed its Odysseus spacecraft on the Moon on Thursday at 6:23 p.m.
ET, becoming the first private company to pull off a soft landing on the lunar surface.
The laser is designed to assess the Moons terrain to identify a safe landing spot.
Odysseus snapped a photo of the far side of the Moon following lunar orbit insertion on February 21, 2024.Photo: Intuitive Machines
Instead, NASA repurposed a sensor on another onboard instruments to help the lander during its descent.
It was looking tense for a few minutes before Intuitive Machines announced that its lander had safely touched down.
Welcome to the Moon.
Your order was delivered… to the Moon!
In January,Astrobotic failedin its attempt to reach the Moon due to a valve issue with its spacecraft.
The Houston-based company has seemingly broken the lunar curse and initiated a new era for the space economy.
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